I have chosen to use my paragraph about Sherman Alexie's analysis of Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.
Sherman Alexie chose to write about a man that cannot mesh into society of the city being a Native American in a predominantly white world. Unlike Dee who seemed to integrate well into her new surroundings, this man could not find himself through the routine of daily life and inevitably felt disconnected from his previous world. He begins with the background of the man’s work history at a Seattle 7-11. He explains the monotony of the job and the overall dislike for the job; he also alludes to his troublesome relationship with his girlfriend that only added stress to an unstable environment. He begins to paint a chaotic picture of this man’s lifestyle as he would find himself in violent situations with his girlfriend in which he would break lamps and aimlessly drive around for hours. He seems to have an overall lack of interest in his life as he feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere he goes; there is an instance where he was driving around after a fight and a police officer instructed him that he does not fit the profile of the neighborhood and ask that he leaves. The climax comes when he awoke from a dream in which soldiers were at war with his people and vivid images of his people being mistreated; he states that he packed all his possessions and left in the middle of the night without hesitation. He returns to his reservation where he finds himself without motivation and lack of direction in his life. “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” she asked. “Don’t know,” I said, and normally, for almost any other Indian in the country, that would have been a perfectly fine answer. But I was special, a former college student, a smart kid. I was one of those Indians who was supposed to make it, to rise above the rest of the reservation like a fucking eagle or something. I was the new kind of warrior. (Alexie 342) Throughout the story he struggles to find a balance of living the life that he wants while still being the same person that his family has raised. His identity begins to become blurred through the mass integration of modern media and the lifestyle of the city. He failed to adjust to his surroundings and adapt to life away from the reservation, a common theme in Alexie’s writings.
Sherman Alexie chose to write about a man that cannot mesh into society of the city being a Native American in a predominantly white world. Unlike Dee who seemed to integrate well into her new surroundings, this man could not find himself through the routine of daily life and inevitably felt disconnected from his previous world. He begins with the background of the man’s work history at a Seattle 7-11. He explains the monotony of the job and the overall dislike for the job; he also alludes to his troublesome relationship with his girlfriend that only added stress to an unstable environment. He begins to paint a chaotic picture of this man’s lifestyle as he would find himself in violent situations with his girlfriend in which he would break lamps and aimlessly drive around for hours. He seems to have an overall lack of interest in his life as he feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere he goes; there is an instance where he was driving around after a fight and a police officer instructed him that he does not fit the profile of the neighborhood and ask that he leaves. The climax comes when he awoke from a dream in which soldiers were at war with his people and vivid images of his people being mistreated; he states that he packed all his possessions and left in the middle of the night without hesitation. He returns to his reservation where he finds himself without motivation and lack of direction in his life. “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” she asked. “Don’t know,” I said, and normally, for almost any other Indian in the country, that would have been a perfectly fine answer. But I was special, a former college student, a smart kid. I was one of those Indians who was supposed to make it, to rise above the rest of the reservation like a fucking eagle or something. I was the new kind of warrior. (Alexie 342) Throughout the story he struggles to find a balance of living the life that he wants while still being the same person that his family has raised. His identity begins to become blurred through the mass integration of modern media and the lifestyle of the city. He failed to adjust to his surroundings and adapt to life away from the reservation, a common theme in Alexie’s writings.
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